When disaster strikes, heed authorities' warnings

As the death toll from Hurricane Sandy climbs on the East coast, as damage estimates climb into the billions, consider two deaths in Staten Island.

A family decided to ignore warnings, stay behind and defend their property from looters, who had struck during last year's Hurricane Irene evacuation. This time, the house collapsed in the storm; a father and his daughter, an eighth-grader, were killed, their wife and mother, hospitalized.

These victims -- and many more -- had days of weather reports to alert them of the coming storm, days to prepare and days to decide. Which is more of an advance warning than we'll ever get here on the North Coast, where many of us live under the shadow of a tsunami that could be triggered at any time by unpredictable seismic forces on the other side of the world.

In 2011, authorities began evacuating the North Coast shoreline as soon as they heard that a 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck Japan. Thanks to an early warning system of Pacific Ocean buoys, authorities here were able to give people two hours to clear their boats of out of Crescent City Harbor. As a result of officials' quick action and citizens' attentiveness, when waves destroyed the harbor, no lives were lost, no injuries reported.

The lessons of 2011 and 2012 are clear.

When you are told to evacuate, evacuate. If you ignore emergency orders, you not only endanger yourself and your family, but you place in further jeopardy the first responders who have already dedicated their lives to protecting yours.

When the time comes, heed the call.

Finally, if you haven't already, it's time to assemble your disaster readiness kit. Here's a handy list, courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey:

1. Fire extinguisher.

2. Adequate supplies of medications that you or family members are taking.

3. Crescent and pipe wrenches to turn off gas and water supplies.

4. First-aid kit and handbook.

5. Flashlights with extra bulbs and batteries.

6. Portable radio with extra batteries.

7. Water for each family member for at least two weeks (allow at least 1 gallon per person per day) and purification tablets or chlorine bleach to purify drinking water from other sources.

8. Canned and packaged foods, enough for several days, and a mechanical can opener. Extra food for pets if necessary.

9. Camp stove or barbecue to cook on outdoors (store fuel out of the reach of children).

10. Waterproof, heavy-duty plastic bags for waste disposal.

How to help hurricane victims

The American Red Cross and Coast Central Credit Union have set up a "Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund" (No. 182300) and are asking the public to visit any Coast Central Credit Union branch to donate to this fund, which will be used in ongoing efforts to provide shelter, food, and services for people in multiple states. Shelters are open in nine states, providing refuge to thousands of people. According to a press release, the Red Cross so far has provided more than 160,000 meals, and is sending 12 mobile kitchens to the area. 50 trailers of relief supplies have been deployed, as well as more than two-thirds of the entire Red Cross fleet of emergency response vehicles.